By Squall's judgment Garden was scheduled to be near the Shumi region in two days. They had already been walking through the frozen tundra and were no doubt close to the elusive dwelling of the Shumi but they had yet again taken another detour along the way.
Unlike their many adventures in the swamps of Dollet and the Wilderness of Galbaldia there wasn't much to rely on in terms of survival. In those short two weeks Squall had grown considerably. He was still very much a puppy but he was no twice his size and weighed at least 25 pounds and was quiet lean and lanky.
As he followed after Fujin wearing the goofy yet useful dog shoes and sweater, he realized that she had navigated them to some sort of clearing that had massive coverage from brilliantly white barked trees with blue leaves. She moved determinedly forward until she came to stop in front of a large tree of the same species. However at the base of the tree was a single grave stone.
The silent woman that he had come to respect in their time together knelt in front of the stone and used a gloved hand to rub away some frost.
Creeping closer, he realized that the name on grave read Yuki Kazeno. Beloved Mother. Turning his head to regard the stoic woman, he noted the way her red eye softened ever so slightly. Absentmindedly she lifted her left hand to rub the skin of damaged eye.
This is an intimate moment and I shouldn't be here. Intruding on something like this. I've seen her be so self reliant these last few weeks and it works for her. However she still has her brother and her friend Seifer. Yet she doesn't seem weak at all.
Pacing back and forth behind her, he debated leaving and giving her some space. He quickly nixed that idea. If I leave, then I'll never make it to Garden, but then again she's upset. The way she rubs her eye is only when she's distressed. He sighed softly and tried to remain aloof. Unaware of his own movement, Squall sat next to offering quiet support. The silent woman reached a hand out to stroke the puppy's slightly damp fur. Fujin had grown accustomed to Claude's quiet manner.
She started speaking to him in that husky whisper of a voice that he had grown so used to hearing. It was different from the way she seemed to bark or shout to others. "Mother died childbirth." A soft sigh escaped her lips. "Fujin too early. Village thought cursed. Albino." She spoke the word with a sneer.
As she spoke her gaze never wavered from the tomb stone. "Raijin protected me." "One day Raijin was gone." "They came. They hurt Fujin." She touched her eye patch as she remembered the tragic event. "We went Garden." Her voice was nothing but a raspy gargle by now. She reached into her pockets and pulled out her bottle of medicine and swallowed a mouthful. "I learned fight. Became strong."
Squall listened with quietly as she related the tale. He knew that her throat must be killing her by this point. She wouldn't be able to talk well for the next couple of days. He stood up and walked to the tomb stone and placed a single paw on the grave before going back to Fujin. He looked at her briefly before licking her on the face. I'm not quite sure why I did that but it seems like it needed to be done. Refusing to acknowledge anymore of his own thoughts he ended them with a simple phrase. Whatever.
They stayed in the clearing for a few more hours before they made to the Shumi village and stayed there for the night.
